Sam Cassell Jr. Ready To Make Name For Himself At UConn

STORRS – Wherever he goes, the Cassell brand follows Sam Cassell Jr., a point guard like his father, who played the position for 16 seasons in NBA.

Now the younger Cassell is at UConn, where expectations are high for any player, and he welcomes it all.

"I'm fine with it," he said Monday, following classes and workouts at Gampel Pavilion. "People say I have to carry something. I want to. I have shoes to fill. I'm happy there's pressure, I want the pressure. That's what makes big-time players, hopefully I can be a big-time player."

Growing up around basketball, one piece of advice from his father usually comes to the forefront: "He says, 'Just be smart. The game is fast, you've got to pick your angles out of the game and be smart, the game will come to you."

Cassell's journey to Storrs was unusual. From Baltimore, he committed to Maryland and began summer school there in 2012, but was ruled academically ineligible by the NCAA. He then went to Chipola College in Florida, where he sat out a year to get his academics in order, and then led the team to a 26-6 record and a state Juco championship last season, averaging 18.7 points, 43.3 percent from the floor.

"I improved a lot mentally, physically," Cassell said. "I'm smarter, I can handle the ball better, shoot the ball better. I'm playing defense better. My footwork is better. My overall game has gotten way better. I graduated with a 3.0 — I made myself proud and my mother proud."

Cassell, 6 feet 4 and195 pounds, was heavily recruited again. He came to UConn the weekend of the football game against Michigan. He visited Missouri, Marquette and Louisville but chose UConn in October.

"It just felt like home," he said. "When I first got here, I texted my dad and my mom – this is the place for me. They told me to finish my visits, but I knew deep down I wanted to be a Husky."

Cassell's father also played Juco ball before getting to Florida State, and then helped the Houston Rockets win two NBA titles. He played 16 seasons with nine organizations and when he retired in 2009 he immediately became an assistant coach with the Wizards, a job he still has. Much like Kevin Ollie, Cassell was well-traveled and well-respected. They were teammates with the Bucks in 2003, where Sam Jr., age 10, first met Ollie.

"When you're here, it's different than the recruiting stage," Cassell said. "The workouts are tough, but it gets us better. [Ollie] lets you know from day one, he tells you 'I'm not easy, I'm going to be on you from day one,' and that's what he's been doing."

Cassell arrived in Storrs on June 2 to begin summer classes. He was shooting Monday afternoon with Terrence Samuel, a sophomore veteran of UConn's national championship. The Huskies will have four experienced guards next season, with senior Ryan Boatright, Rodney Purvis and Samuel. "We're all different in some kind of way," Cassell said, "so we all can fit in."

Said Ollie: "Sam is doing excellent. He's a hard worker, very mature kid. He's embracing coaching. From all the things I've seen on and off the court, he's going to fit right into our program."

As he watched the Huskies throughout the season, and especially in the NCAA Tournament, Cassell felt pangs, wanting to join his future teammates as it was happening. He saw similarities between UConn and his successful Chipola team.

"They just played together," he said. "They fought the whole 40 minutes. They already knew before the game, the team they were playing against couldn't beat them. As long as everybody on the team gathers as one, that's all you really need to win everything."